I've never been good at keeping a calendar or scheduling my own life, but I'm a firm believer in getting your baby on a schedule. As my sister Carolyn so eloquently put it, "some people think your baby knows best what he needs. But no, he doesn't, because he's a baby!!!" They need structure and consistency to keep them content, and I believe that, because I've seen it first-hand!
I am going to brag a little now, judge me as you may, but Austin is a really good-natured baby. He hardly even cried the first 2 months of his life. He'd put himself down for naps, and suck on his hands when he was hungry--it was great!
Then 3 months rolled around. It's a little more work now! I find that it's like a mystery you have to solve to figure out why they don't want to take more than a 10 minute nap, or why they wake up at 4 am after weeks of sleeping until 6 am consistently. You look at all these clues--is he eating enough? Is he eating too much? Is he getting over-stimulated? Does he just not need very long naps to rejuvenate? Does he hate his crib? Does he get distracted? Or, if all else fails, blame it on the mysterious 'growth spurt'?
It is all very satisfying when you think you've got it figured out. Currently, I think my careful scheduling of the nap routine may have just worked itself out. Austin went from 10 minute naps to an hour and a half nap today! Triumph! But then, as one kink is ironed out, you quickly learn as a mom that another pops right back up, and you've got a new set of clues to try and piece together, and then a new solution to apply to it. Being a mom is hard work sometimes!
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3 comments:
It's true. One thing's for sure though, nothing lasts forever. I always tell myself this when a child is constantly peeing on the floor or in their bed, or throwing daily tantrums, or refuses to nap, etc. They won't be doing it in middle school. Good luck with the napping.
"Good Night, Sleep Tight...The Sleep Lady's Gentle Guide to Helping Your Child Go To Sleep, Stay Asleep, And Wake Up Happy" by Kim West.
This book is way helpful in figuring out developmental stages and new cues and sleep needs and new schedules. I'm not saying I know anything that's surefire when it comes to kid raising, because they're all so different, but this book is awesome. And sounds like you're doing a great job!
I really appreciate your saying that nothing lasts forever. It's true, babies make your life cute with their adorable smile.
From team Vertigo Racer
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